The rain kept its date with school reopening on June 1, but everything else was different. The school gates did not open, there was a deafening silence, and even the first bell that rang was a virtual one. On the first day of the 2020-21 academic year, students watched on television and other online platforms as teachers took lessons remotely, scripting a new chapter in school education.
First Bell, the programme on the KITE Victers channel and other online mechanisms, began with a message by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan reminding students of education’s ‘new normal’ where owing to the restrictions necessitated by COVID-19, traditional classes were not possible. To ensure that students’ education did not suffer, the State General Education Department had facilitated classes for them through the KITE Victers channel and online too, he said.
The e-learning mechanism may not seem complete owing to limited possibilities for interaction between student and teachers. However, such sessions were necessary to equip students for resumption of school activities at a later stage, Mr. Vijayan said.
The Chief Minister promised all arrangements for students to access the e-classes. Teachers would ensure that no student was deprived of facilities. Parents too should make sure that their wards were attending the sessions. The classes were a new model in the teaching-learning process, Mr. Vijayan said.
The classes got under way with a half-an-hour English session for Plus Two students. After two hours, it was time for Class 1 students to hear the recorded classes. Up next was a slot for Class 10 students.
The online lessons, for students from Classes 1 to 12 except 11, are available on the Victers channel through the cable network and a couple of direct-to-home service providers. They are available live on the portal www.victers.kite.kerala. gov.in and on Facebook (facebook.com/victerseduchannel), and on the Victers YouTube channel youtube.com/itsvicters after transmission. The programmes will be telecast again – the same day or the weekend. The telecast in the first week will be on a trial basis. The classes will be repeated in the same order from June 8.
The Samagra Shiksha, Kerala, estimates that nearly 2.6 lakh to 3 lakh of the 43 lakh schoolchildren in the State have no access to television with cable connection or phones or computers with the Internet.
Opposite view
Leader of the Opposition Ramesh Chennithala termed the government’s decision to start online classes hasty, saying it did not benefit over half the students. Children in coastal, tribal, and hilly regions could not view the classes for lack of facilities. There were other issues to contend with even if they had television. The number of children with no access to these facilities was much more than that found in Samagra Shiksha’s survey.
Minister for Education C. Ravindranath said that a good percentage of students had been able to view the classes. Another feedback was that most of the classes were of good quality. Students in some areas had not been able access these. However, this was expected. To address this problem, local bodies would make arrangements for viewing the classes. Libraries and sponsors such as IOC too had come forward. This was very heartening. Government officials said resources such as libraries, study centres, Kudumbashree units, Akshaya centres, and KITE’s hi-tech facilities would now be mobilised. The online classes, they said, were not a replacement for the teaching-learning process in schools; rather a way to engage students in academic activities.
Vrinda S.K., a Plus Two Science student at Government Higher Secondary School for Girls, Cotton Hill, said though they were familiar with ICT education in school, it was still a new experience to start the school year. The videos were successful in creating the classroom vibe, though doubts could not be asked rightaway. This year was critical for Plus Two students and the classes had helped make the most of the time available in the best way possible. Preetha K.L., Principal, said they had received a feeback that most of the students had watched the classes and liked them. They had also asked subject teachers for notes on topics. A meeting of teachers was being planned to decide how to provide additional support to the students in terms of reference material and so on.
